Thou Winter Wind
by lrigD
Summary: A winter day in D.C. BB friendship with a hint of something more...


_**OK, so basically there's been snow here for over a month now, with a few snow-free intervals. This is very unusual. We usually have some snow each year, but this year is extreme.**_

_**There's been some comparisons with the winter of 1962/63 - I wasn't born then, but the winter there was so bad, temperatures of -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit), the biggest lake in the Netherlands (which is basically connected to the see, only divided by a dam) was frozen (car races were held on it), the drinking water turned salty. People could walk from the mainland to the islands (the Netherlands has some small islands at the north of the country, separated by a small sea) and a part of the Noordzee was frozen...**_

_**It's definitely not as bad this year, but it just made me think and feel a bit melancholy (yes, for a time I have never experienced myself) and this kinda rolled out. It's unbeta'ed and English is not my first language, so I have no idea how it turned out...**_

_**Also, it may remind you a little bit of Fire in the Ice, but I didn't write this with that episode in mind.**_

_**I do not own Bones; but I do own the pleasure of trying to entertain you guys =D**_

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**_She didn't think she'd ever been this cold.

The temperature in D.C. had dropped to 14 degrees, and it wasn't much better during the day. The sun was shining, but gave no warmth. Snow had begun to fall a few days ago, resulting in a thick blanket of whiteness covering the rural areas. There was a certain poetry, a form of art to it – Angela had left early for the past few days and spent most of her time photographing or drawing – the white endlessness of the snow gave every field a desolated look, and she herself felt it, too. She also felt the cold, which was a decidedly less comfortable feeling.

And, of course, Booth had decided to take her out. Into the cold.

"Come on Bones, you'll enjoy it!"

She'd looked into those laughing eyes and found she couldn't refuse; so she'd abandoned her First World War soldier, even though she didn't believe that the dog tag provided conclusive evidence. Booth had seemed excited as a child when he'd come in to her office, and she simply didn't wan to deny him his happiness. (At least, that's what she told herself.)

And now he held a pair of ice skates by their laces, dangling them in front of his face, and she frowned, wondering how he'd even charmed her into doing this. She was cold – she was adequately dressed, but she might as well have been naked; her clothes formed no protection against the icy wind.

They were out on a field which had overflown a few days before it had started to freeze, resulting in a beautiful, smooth icy landscape. Many parents were skating with their children. She saw a few couples here and there, holding hands and laughing.

She held out her arm, accepting the skates from Booth. After asserting they were the right size, she quickly took off her shoes and slipped into the skates. They were snug around her feet and it was an oddly comfortable feeling.

"Come on, Bones!" he said, echoing his words of this morning. He held out his gloved hand and she accepted, smiling as he pulled her up a little too enthusiastically and almost fell himself. He shot her a dazzling smile as he steadied himself.

They skated off, following one of the paths that had been formed by previous skaters. They fell into a comfortable silence, broken every once in a while by a remark about the beauty of the landscape.

They skidded to a rest at the edge of the field, looking out into the distance. Only then did she notice that they were still holding hands, but she felt oddly at peace with it. She had never been a big fan of physical contact, but with Booth, it was a reminder of her safety when she was with him, and it didn't bother her.

"I just love this," he broke the silence, gesturing widely around him with his free arm. "The infinity, the endlessness of nature..." She looked at him, surprised by his sudden poetic mood, but he was looking ahead into the sky. They fell silent again, and then he started talking, whispering almost, and she had to strain to hear him.

"Blow, blow thou winter wind  
Thou art not so unkind  
As man's ingratitude  
Thy tooth is not so keen,  
Because thou art not seen,  
Although thy breath be rude..."

She wasn't well versed in poetry, but she recognized Shakespeare when she heared it; and somehow, the fact that he knew Shakespeare surprised her more than anything else had this day.

She said nothing, because she felt as if words would destroy the beauty of the moment; instead, she squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.

But they were interrupted in their silence when a young girl skidded by, laughing and twirling expertly on her skates.

When she looked at Booth, she noticed that he seemed to be distracted; a somewhat wild look was in his eyes, and she didn't know how to react; but he solved the problem for her by giving her another one of those looks she had secretly dubbed the Booth-smile and tugged at her hand. And they were off again.

Every once in a while, they stopped, admiring the beauty of the landscape ahead of them. And every time they stopped, she stepped a little closer to him, both consciously and without realizing it; she was cold and his body was warm, but she also wanted to share the strange feeling of cohesion, of ... _togetherness_, with him.

At one of their stops, he slung his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into his broad form; but neither of them spoke about it. It felt natural to do so; they had never needed words as much as actions when they wanted to convey their emotions. This time was no different.

A short distance from the starting point they stopped again, neither of them wanting this afternoon to end. She impulsively leaned up and kissed his cheek; he turned, surprised, but then he caught her look and kissed her, too. But this was not a kiss on her cheek; instead, it landed on her lips. It was nothing passionate, just a short, affectionate peck.

But her lips tingled, and she felt herself blush. How did this man turn her into a schoolgirl all over again?

They stood solidly, watching as the sun slowly began to set into a beautiful sundown; the colours of the sky illuminated them.

Two joined silhouettes against a frozen sky.

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_**Any thoughts? Please review!**_


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